Hodgson knows plenty about the task facing Allardyce, having inherited a Cottagers side in deep trouble last season before steering them to a dramatic escape from relegation on the last day of the campaign.

The men meet at Craven Cottage tonight, with Rovers still in the relegation zone and desperate to put a run of results together.

But Hodgson, who managed Blackburn in an equally tough period in his previous stint in the English top flight, believes they have the right man to help retain their status.

Tottenham were another side in big trouble when they changed managers - swapping Juande Ramos for Harry Redknapp - and with Spurs now in 12th, Hodgson feels Allardyce can lead a similar revival.

"I guess there are parallels with me (last season) and I think Sam and Harry would certainly say so," he said.

"But the position when I took over was, I think, more perilous. I think that Harry, with the money he has had to make signings, and Sam, with the quality of the squad at his disposal, were in a more comfortable position in terms of what they found in front of them.

"Having said that, I was lucky that I got a terrific response from the players when I arrived and they put in performances that they had not put in before. That is what Sam will be hoping for.

"The lucky thing for Blackburn, as for Tottenham, is they have a manager of great experience - both of football and of the Premier League.

"Because of that I do not think they are going to get caught out by anything that happens and they will also be able to put perspective on victories and defeats. That is important."

Reflecting on his own team's long-term prospects, Hodgson admitted that their chances of becoming a fixture in the top half of the table may depend on boardroom decisions as much as progress on the training ground.

"That is not just a question for me, but also for the chief executive of the club and the owner Mohamed Al Fayed," he said.

"It is up to them to decide. If things go okay this season and we do achieve our goal of stabilising the club and being less relegation prone - which I said was the aim from day one - then we are looking better and it will be up to the chairman to decide where he wants to take the club.

"There is no doubt that to take the club to the next step, it won't purely be down to the coaching and the preparation we try and do, it will also be down to recruitment - what players we can bring in to strengthen what is a very fragile squad."